BF and traveling

sergeantb44

I will be doing quite a bit of traveling after the baby is born. My flights are about 5 hours total. I was wondering if I should take my pump on the plane or if I could pack it in my bag. Baby will be traveling also and I am sure eat at least once during the travels (besides takeoff and landing). I was thinking I could get away with packing it but wondered what you ladies thought?

Synnovus

If you're flying with baby then you shouldn't need the pump. Baby will nurse when he/she is hungry and most likely for comfort too so I wouldn't worry about pumping when having baby with me.

A&Lmommy

If you have the baby with you, you could probably pack your pump in your check-in luggage and have one less thing to worry about keeping track of and carrying. Unless your anticipating on having an extremely high supply of milk and have to pump after nursing due to painful engorgement. If you do on demand feeding, your baby will keep up with you. Whenever we traveled, it was a great way to calm down baby(and even better for a rowdy toddler, if you continue nursing for that long) and the white noise of the plane helps put them right to sleep. Nothing better than a sleeping baby with a full belly.

tarheelgirl8

For me it would depend on how much you will need it when you land. When you land will you be away from your baby? If so, I would bring it on the plane just in case my luggage was lost. More for peace of mind. The last thing you want to do is have to go buy something for one day until your luggage arrives

klirwin82

If you can leave the pump I'd do that. We traveled at 4 mos old and I usually was up MOTN to pump cause I'd get engorged before he woke at 3am to eat but when we took a trip I left the pump. Too much of a pain, especially then transporting the milk back (assuming you're not dumping it). It was my first time without a pump but it worked out and was great for forcing myself to BF in public. What I did was wake him up to eat before I got engorged. A little inconvenient since I woke him twice instead of him waking up to eat once but much easier than lugging a pump around.

If it's just to prevent engorgement maybe you could bring a small manual pump?

krissyberb

When I travel with LO, I bring a hand pump. I pack it in my carry on but never needed it in the airport.

sergeantb44

Thanks for the information ladies!

marijaa333

Can you hand-express?

jesselayne8

I just bring my manual pump.

clabgust

I'm getting ready to fly with my LO who EBF. I'm a little nervous about nursing closely next  to a stranger. I'm very conservative and use a cover in public and find a quiet corner when we are out and about. I know many women don't mind public breast feeding. This is just my personality. I will absolutely feed my baby when he's hungry it's an 8 hour flight. But anyone have experience with this and can offer any good tips to help me relax about it. 
Money thing I'm telling myself is it is a stranger and I likely won't see them again. I just hate to make them feel awkward also!

delujm0

I usually bring my pump in my carry on...I'll just nurse on the plane but I'm afraid my checked luggage will get lost with my pump inside of it.

We pump and bottle feed during the day usually, so that the routine is the same during the week at daycare as it is when we're at home, so I need my pump.  You can bring back pumped milk in a small cooler in your carry on (unless you have a LOT of pumped milk...I can get up to 24oz in my cooler no prob).

tarheelgirl8

@clabgust, I would try to get a window seat so you won't feel as exposed.  Also wear you're most convenient BFing outfit possible.  I have a shirt the buttons halfway down in the front that I wear with a nursing tank underneath when I know I'm going to be BFing in public.

Also, you could always ask the flight attendants if there's any spare room in first class.  If there is, they may be willing to upgrade you so you'd have a little more room and privacy.